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Sir George Downing's plaque by Ishbel Beatty AN° DOM 1673 Do you know where you can see this date? It is incised in stone in the porch of St Denis Church, East Hatley, above the door, and only visible if you go up close.
This is a precise date, for a precise purpose, like some of the gravestones around, but, apart from the church fabric, almost the only material object surviving from the village past. I want to be sure that it receives some attention in our very contemporary-looking village. Sir George Downing, 1623-84, was a minor politician, diplomat and several times a Member of Parliament (but not in Cambridgeshire). His house in London gave its name to the street now best known for the Prime Minister's residence. It was his fortune, following the death of the 3rd Sir George, grandson of the first, that led to the foundation of Downing College, Cambridge. For information on Hatley St George church, visit the Druidic website |
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Above the date is a cartouche of the arms of Sir George Downing, then owner of the estate of East Hatley. He had it made to show that he had paid for the porch to be added on to the church.